Smolder (Crown of Fae #3) - Sharon Ashwood Page 0,35

was only about a foot, but it was unexpected. Leena stumbled, releasing Morran but keeping Kifi close. She caught herself before she fell headlong, but not before stubbing her bare toes on the hard ground.

For a moment, everything was eye-watering pain. Her head whirled, as if the spinning mirror had spun her in turn. Nausea lurked at the back of her throat.

“Why did you do that to the mirror?” she asked Kifi.

“Because it was shiny,” the cat answered. Clearly, that much was obvious. “Also, I thought it might stop your brother. It didn’t work.”

As Leena’s senses recovered, she grew aware of the chaos around her. A glance told her they were standing on a square of grass beside a broad roadway. Morran was regarding the traffic with his arms folded, where strange vehicles streamed by at the speed of dragons. Leena fell back a step, putting more distance between herself and the road. The air was dusty and foul.

She looked around, turning in a circle with Kifi still wide-eyed in her arms. There were many-storied structures on every side, looking even taller now that she was in their midst. After every street and building, there were more streets and buildings with no relief in sight. It was almost like being lost in a maze of canyons. There were trees, but they looked like twigs straining for the sun.

And they weren’t alone, not by far. Every city in Faery had its share of mortals, but humans were everywhere here, standing in groups or hurrying down the sidewalks.

Fae were as varied as a garden of flowers—large and small, round and wand-thin, winged, horned, and in every color of the rainbow. Humans, by contrast, varied far less—and that meant Leena’s party stood out.

Where had she brought them? Had it been a mistake? She looked back, but the Shimmer was gone. The spell had been meant for one traveler, not four, and they’d probably used up its capacity. However, Juradoc could make another portal soon enough, so vacating the area would be smart.

Someone leaned out of a passing vehicle, whistled, and pointed at them as the red contraption rumbled past. It was impossible to tell if it was her dancing costume or Morran’s muscular frame that had attracted notice, and she didn’t care. It was time to find cover.

“You’re a temple cat,” she murmured to Kifi. “Where does the Flame bid us to go?”

“Unclear,” the cat replied, “but lore recommends we avoid the cars. They do not always pause for my kind.”

“Cars?” Leena understood Kifi meant the vehicles, but she’d not heard the word used quite that way. “Have temple cats come here?”

“Where the fae go, we go.” Kifi snuggled closer. “We have mixed our blood with the mortal felines of this place.”

While that was interesting, it wasn’t helping Leena plan. Morran hadn’t budged, still glowering at his surroundings. She looked the other way to see Fionn slowly approaching, his hood drawn low over his face.

“Fionn?” she called, keeping her voice gentle despite a thrill of horror at seeing her brother as a Shade.

He stopped an arm’s length away. “You interfered.”

It was hard to hear his words over the traffic, but they were clear enough. The accusation raked her. “I came to save you. I won’t give up on you, no matter what.”

He reached down to his belt, then slowly drew his knife. With the horrible clarity, she noticed the bone handle and the long, double-edged blade.

“What are you going to do?” Her voice was lost in the chaos of sound.

Fionn lunged. Kifi sprang from her arms, her claws aimed for Fionn’s face. He ducked, his attack spoiled, and the cat landed on the grass unhurt.

Then the knife slashed again. Leena spun away, using her dancer’s speed. “Please, Fionn, no!”

She held up her hands just in time for the next slice to score her palm. She snatched her hand back, vision blurring with tears. She fell to one knee, scrabbling for a rock to use as a weapon. All she managed to do was throw a fistful of dirt in his face. He swept the grains away, as if they barely deserved attention.

Kifi lunged, biting his boot to no avail. Fionn struck again. She dodged, falling into a roll, but Fionn stomped on the hem of her gown, pinning it to the earth. Leena jerked to a stop, the strong silk refusing to tear.

One of the vehicles on the road honked, indicating someone had noticed the fight, but Leena had no attention to spare.